This is lovely,
I really absolutely need to have this.
This is a completely rational need. Continue reading
Category Archives: Knitting
what to post when you haven’t been
So it’s almost two… yep two months since I last posted, and the longer I put it off, the harder it is to just sit down and write something. To write anything. Anything at all.
Part of the truth is I haven’t wanted to be any where near my computers. I haven’t been coding, I haven’t been designing or drawing, or painting… just knitting.
Remember the booties, the ambitious goal me and the fiancé had? Well I worked and worked on them, when I really wanted to be lace knitting, or working on my entrelac cowl or on the custom bike mittens someone asked for. But I spent november and december knitting booties. And that fine, but I like my knitting to engage me, and that why I do complicated projects. Unless I’m bored or tired or burnt out or all of those things and then I knit a rib stitch scarf or maybe even a bootie. Continue reading
un-spun love
I was reading through a book I got from the library last week called Icelandic Handknits, by Hélène Magnússon.
And so far I like it, though now I want more on this the Icelandic Lace. I’ve been enjoying anything with the history of knitting / fiber arts in it. Somehow the idea of knitting something that was knit 100 years ago just appeals to me. But as I don’t have a pressing need for shoe liners for my fish skin shoes, not always very useful.
While reading through the book I read about unspun Lopi yarn, (just like the stuff I found in Grand Marais from Canada). So I looked it up and now I want it, I want it soooooooooooo bad.
What am I going to use it for you ask?
………
That’s a good question.
But I still want it .
So very very much.
forever a work in progress #1
So here goes,
My first F-WIP. 
It’s the Pirate’s Cutie – Sweater from and oooollllldddd issue of Vogue’s Knit.1 from winter 2006/07.
I started this adorable little sweater ( only my 2nd and last attempt and at a sweater since I started knitting ) at least five years ago, probably closer to 6. It was before I started school, part of the reason I never finished is because homework turned out taking a huge chunk out of my knitting time.
The second reason is sad, I think about it every time I look at the thing. I had a really bazar and sudden falling out with the friend who was having the baby that it would go to. So I even if I had finished it I probably wouldn’t have been able to give it to her. And now the little boy is starting kindergarten, and it wouldn’t really fit now.
I want to turn this bad memory around and find and other cute little person to give this to. I want to look at this sweater and smile again. But first I have to knit the 2nd sleeve.
Yep thats right, beside the collar thats all that needs to be done.
ONE. SLEEVE.
At this rate I’m guessing another 2 years at least.
I’m very very good at starting things
Last night as I was cleaning up a little and deciding which project I would take to bed with me I was reminded of my tendency to start new knitting projects. Without any regard to what I may have recently or not-so-recently have started and may or may-not probably really don’t have time to finish. I cast on at least 4 things this last week. Continue reading
so this other blog…
I’ve been reading a lot of other blogs lately or at least scanning them and marking them as read. By the way I’ve been using Feedly since google reader went away, have to say I like it. Design wise it’s easier on the eyes than Google was. I also checked out Bloglovin and while they probably have a better selection of blogs Feedly is a lot faster at loading previews and the actual blogs. And right now it’s free, so there’s my two cents.
But back to my original point, I’ve noticed I am missing something from my crafty blog, I have no theme days or months. Like for example this one has WIP Wednesdays (WIP=work in progress). So I have been thinking maybe I could do Wino Wednesdays? Hmmm…
Or if I want to keep it knitting related I could do FaWIP (FOEVER a work in progress). I could post my almost finished projects that have been almost finished for 1+ year now. I’ve been knitting ten years, I think I can keep this going for at least a couple months.
So tomorrow next Friday, the baby sweater….
DUM DUM DUM…
of drama and yarn
wow,for my knitting friends out there, there is a huge fight erupting over copyrights of independent designers out there in knitting-blog land. And it is getting nasty.
This started as a simple Facebook post, but when I realized I was writing a small novel…
On one side there is a really talented and funny designer/blogger from Alex who writes a blog called a Dull Roar. She’s defending another independent designer/blogger SpillyJane who designs great color work mittens against…
An another independent blogging knitter (kitty-ears.com) who also seems to be a bit of a beginner. And after reading some of her posts, a cheesy romantic who thinks thinking about God should be part of her day and is a house wife I guess. She seems slightly clueless honestly, not evil.
And I have to admit reading some of the comments by Alex in the Ravelry thread are a little aggressive, and sadly not professional. And thats disappointing because I wanted to think she was in the right. The 2nd designer should have also removed her pattern when she learned it was so close to another, because that would be the right thing to do.
And all of this over mittens/gloves with gnomes on them. GNOMES! Happy little gnomes.
And it’s was all topped off with people insulting another’s designers work and calling it ugly and a man-gina. I kind of like it, it looks hard to knit and I’m all about challenges. And if wearing a giant vagina is your thing ( i kid) you might like it it’s called Color Craving.
I really thought the knitting world was more mature than all this.
And I think a lot of people are coming to the same conclusion (example-From flossieknits).
One commenter of the 100’s of comments I waisted my night reading mentioned this, you may have seen these fake ads floating about. No wonder I can live with out regular TV, now I need to watch some Vampire Diaries on Netflix to calm down a bit…
not how, but why I learned to knit
I’ve always been a “crafty” person. I just like making things, sometimes they are really nice things, sometimes… well we all have some “what was I thinking” moments.
When I was little it was legos, when I was a little older I convinced my mom to teach me to crochet. I made a really really long chain. It stopped there for some reason. Then it was the sewing machine so I could make clothes for my American Girl doll. I made a lovely ball gown for her, out of some scraps of purple satin and lace. Then by high-school it was ceramics and painting, and through all of it I drew. But one thing I wanted to learn but had no idea how to start was to knit. Continue reading
i have a pattern posted!
Yea! Just finished my first pdf pattern to share.
It’s not to pretty, it could really use better pictures. But I just wanted it done so I could get back to actually knitting them.
Still working on a re-worked heel but it’s good enough for now.
Bobby’s Booties, are a little dated and very simple. But I think they would look really amazing with some simple color work or just nicer yarn, like wool for warmth maybe. Mostly they are for my fiancé and his family though, just like grandma use to make.
re-kintting bobby’s booties
So for the holidays this year one of our goals is to make at least 10 pairs of slippers for family members. I taught my fiancé to knit a while back so he’s doing his best to help, but he’s still pretty new. He just learned to purl last night! We are basing them off of one of the few remaining pairs given to him by this grandma. Apparently she made hundreds and everyone on his mothers side has had a pair at some point. So I sat down counted the rows and stitches, looked very closely at the cast on wrote down some notes and got started on my first one. They are very simple as it turns out, so of-course I want to complicate my next pair. I’m not satisfied with the heel, or how bulky they are around the arch and toes.
I’m facing a tough choice here though. This isn’t just about me and my need to knit complicated things, it’s about making something that reminds this family about a loved one. So I don’t want to change it too much. BUT, then again patterns like this where picked up somewhere, probably long forgotten, and each knitter since has added their little thing to them. I like the idea of adding a personal touch to them. It’s an abstract signature I get to leave, just like Bobby left hers.
So so far my only changes have been to add a little ribbing to the arc of the bottom section and I made the cuffs a little bigger which decreased the overall stitch count around the toe bit. I do want to change the heel, it’s basically a 90 degree angle right now. I’d just like it to curve, just a little bit. And maybe do some decreases near the toe, just so it doesn’t pucker so much. I also started with a 2-sided cast on, it was kind of hard but I didn’t have to sew up any seems so that a huge bonus. I’m not sure if this was how the original’s where done, I’m guessing not.
I think these changes won’t hurt the core of the pattern to much and help make them fit a little better. Maybe use less yarn even, right now it’s taking a ball and about a quarter of another to make a pair. That just drives me bonkers being left with just 3/4 of a ball.
So I’ve decided to post Bobby’s original pattern, and later another with my own changes. This will beat out Alison’s hat for first pattern, but oh well. I hope to finish her version of the hat this afternoon and give it to her tonight.